Current clinical imaging techniques, including radiography and computed tomography (CT), cannot detect early biochemical degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential for diagnosis of early intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). By identifying biochemical changes that occur in the early stages of IVDD, MRI may enable the detection of IVDD before irreversible morphologic degeneration occurs. Recent studies have proposed that T1rho relaxation time is associated with loss of macromolecules (which is an initiating factor in IVDD). The objective of this proposal is to develop an imaging technique for quantifying T1rho relaxation time in the intervertebral disc, and to utilize this method to investigate IVDD in human subjects with different degrees of disc degeneration. The sensitivity of T1rho will be investigated by evaluating the relationship between T1rho in intervertebral disc specimens and collagen and proteoglycan content. These studies will contribute to the development of a criterion for detecting early stages of disc degeneration, and will advance the overall understanding of how MR relaxation parameters relate to biochemical changes in disease. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]